Intro Today we have a much greater understanding than any time before on what if affecting our health that has led to an alarming rate of chronic conditions, including heart disease, obesity, asthma, depression, and diabetes. These are directly linked to poor diet, lack of exercise, and land-use patterns, including access to transportation, urban design, and housing characteristics that can make an impact on people’s ability to participate in physical activity. The land-use pattern that has plagued the United States and Florida since the end of World War II has been suburban sprawl that has led to auto-dependence, air pollution, and a much higher risk of respiratory disease. However, we have the ability to combat these tragedies by shaping …show more content…
Positioned in eastern Tallahassee off the Apalachee Parkway, it offers an ideal location that is in close proximity to shopping centers, the Capitol, and within walking distance of both Lincoln High School and Swift Creek Middle School. Of greatest importance to this proposal, it borders the Lafayette Heritage Trail Park, which features two trails, one that heads east and follows the edge of Piney-Z Lake and one that heads west that leads to Tom Brown Park following the Upper Lake Lafayette. So our “neighborhood” will be a triangle of land that spans from Piney Z to Lafayette Heritage Trail Park to Tom Brown Park and for the sake of this proposal, we will call it the “Lafayette Neighborhood.” We chose this neighborhood because we feel, due to its location, it’s a prime spot to invest in the promotion of healthy living through a variety of outlets stemming from the trails that link to the numerous amenities of Tom Brown …show more content…
We plan to accomplish this firstly by improving the trail between the Tom Ford Park and Lafayette Heritage Trail Park. As of right now, it’s quite narrow in some areas and because it’s a shared-use trail between cyclists and pedestrians it means there is little room for coexistence so we’d like to expand it by at least two feet. We also propose that we should increase public knowledge of these trails through the use of social media, information sessions at the Piney-Z Homeowners Association meetings, and through a partnership with the FSU Hiking Club. There is also very little signage at both parks, especially Tom Brown where the entrance to the trail is just an ingrowth in the forest without any declaration. We recommend that clear and vibrant signs are erected in both parks that display a map of the trail marked with locations and amenities at both places as to encourage use. As we walked through Piney-Z, to our dismay, we noticed many of the streets lacked sidewalks, forcing us to walk on the road and dodge oncoming cars by moving onto people’s lawns which one resident, in particular, wasn’t so pleased with. So to keep this community safe and encourage people to walk in the neighborhood and to the park we propose to create sidewalks along every street in the
There are many people who dislike working out or doing anything productive. I personally hate working out. I’m obviously overweight and still refuse to workout. I used to run around the park that’s close from my house; however, it was hard to no eat fast food. It’s unhealthy to eat and not do any physical activity. Keeping active can help people stay at a healthy weight or lose weight. According to a 2016 article in the Chicago Tribune, “Physical activity levels are declining not only in wealthy countries, such as the U.S., but also in low- and middle-income countries, such as China. And it’s clear that this decline in physical activity is a key contributor to the global obesity epidemic” (Wade). This clearly shows that the lack of not doing any physical activity contributes to obesity. Before there wasn’t a lot of cases of obesity, but now it seems to be unstoppable. People used to ride horses or walk to get to their destination, now most of America drive cars. Driving your car everywhere you go is not healthy because you are lacking physical activity and in doing so contributes to obesity. According to Wade, “About 40 percent of U.S. schoolchildren walked or rode their bikes to school in 1969; by 2001, only 13 percent did so.” This show the decline of physical activity. My aunt once told me that before she learned how to drive, she would walk it mostly everywhere. She didn’t have a car and the only
Daily life in the northern United States took on the hustle and bustle of a modern economy which can be seen in articles from the Valley Spirit. In the article “Chambersburg and Gettysburg Railroad,” the citizens of Fayetteville are interested in building a railroad linking the two towns. Fayetteville’s citizens have already contributed eighty dollars towards having the path surveyed and would like for the citizens of Franklin County to donate the remaining fifty dollars to have the project completed in a timely manner (Chambersburg and Gettysburg Railroad). The editors of this article express great confidence in Franklin County’s citizen’s will to support this project (Chambersburg and Gettysburg Railroad).This article shows the mind set of northern Americans and their willingness to work together to modernize and improve the infrastructure of their towns and cities. Another example of this mindset and desire to improve the infrastructure can be seen in the article “For the Valley Spirit,” which talks about the construction of a bridge crossing the Franklin
The purpose of this grant is to connect the southern, Hanging Rock trail, to the north, Superior trail, a six mile radius. The Hanging Rock trail is south of State Route 650 and the Superior trail north of the Country Road 27. Along with acting as a trail connector it will prevent soil erosion, control water runoff, and help prevent further resource damage by avoiding the destruction of remote territories. The Pine Grove ATV Connectors will enhance the ATV trails for a more desirable ride experience, much like those in the neighboring states. With the increase in desirable ride experience, this would lead to economic advantages by bringing a large amount of tourists in the region. With the growth of urban development, city dwellers want to
In 1929, the vision for the Bay Circuit Trail & Greenway was proposed by The Trustees of Reservations. Its purpose was to create an “outer Emerald Necklace” to mirror the string of designed parks created by Fredrick Law Olmsted; “over the next several decades, various public and private parks and reservations were established in the area between what is now Route 128 and Interstate 495, but they failed to keep pace with commercial and residential development” (BCT website). Although this idea was initially implemented, it wasn’t until the 1980s where this trail & greenway project re-established, and in 1990 the Bay Circuit Alliance was formed to help make this dream a reality. An alliance of hundreds of volunteers spanning from 37 of the contributing towns in Eastern Massachusetts, wanted to create a trail the links several parks and open spaces ranging from Plum Island to Duxbury/Kinston Bay. By doing so they wanted to provide “a place for recreation
As a former college athlete and the daughter of a veteran, I was always infatuated with the idea of staying physically fit. However, when I began working as a medical scribe at a Family Medicine clinic and interacting with many patients living with a pattern of chronic illnesses such as Diabetes Mellitus and Coronary Artery Disease, I realized that many people did not share these same ideas and passion for physical activity and disease and injury prevention. Talking to these patients and their families, I realized that most of their diseases were life threatening and costly, yet what if these patients had taken steps to prevent their illnesses through exercise and diet, would heart disease still be the leading cause of death in the U.S. today? If we could lessen tobacco prevalence,
The episode from designing communities that was covered in this video was about the connection between the increase in obesity and how living in the suburbs could be a cause of that rise. The video also talks about different ideas and methods that could be used to change the need to use motor transportation and increase the community’s activity levels. Jackson talks about not only the need to lower the cost of healthier food, but also when people live in the suburbs it requires more commute time in regards to getting to jobs and stores therefore decreasing people’s daily activity levels.
One trend to illustrate this is the percentage of the San Mateo County adult population who establish healthy behaviors. These behaviors ¬include respondents who do not smoke cigarettes, are not overweight, exercise at least three times a week for 20 minutes, and who eat an average of at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Only 5.4% of San Mateo County survey respondents report each of four primary health behaviors, a combination which limits cardiovascular and cancer risk. (Professional Research Consultants, Inc., 2013) The idea here is that the statistical findings are way lower compared to its preceding years (2001 with 9.2% and 2008 with 8.5%). We may, therefore, conclude that San Mateo adult residents are starting to exhibit healthy behaviors by not smoking cigarettes, not being overweight based on body mass index, exercising adequately, and including fruits and vegetables in their balanced nutritional diet.
The episode watched, presented diabetes as an “common source epidemic” plaguing Americans, but goes further to say that is it more than just bad eating habits, it is also our “car centric society” that contributes to the epidemic (Baroff, 2012). The episode presented people of varying ages fighting against diabetes, obesity, or lack of a safe outdoor recreation area. The episode also provided several examples of towns that were changing the landscape of their communities to make them more exercise and socially friendly.
Don Bader, Director of Parks and Recreation, has claimed that it will in time attract travelers. According to the Kochville Gazette, the historical roots of Ekey’s Park are substantial to many of its citizens. Being built during the Great Depression allowed for many men to find jobs in a time of dire need. Is there really any rights to taking it down when it had at one point provided for countless men in need of jobs? Yes, the park may make Kochville less money, however, it holds a special place in the history of Kochville. Concerned citizens claim that every urbanized city should have a park, at one point referencing Central Park in New York City. Like Central Park, Ekey Park is a landmark in Kochvilles local history. An open green area in an urbanized is something that will be meaningful to Kochvilles citizens, just like it was in the past. What’s more important to a city than its very lifeblood, its community? For this reason, it becomes an attraction to travelers as a symbol of Kochville’s persistence and ingenuity in the days where its citizens needed it the most. According to Sharon Shannahan, a longtime teacher of Kochville High School, “Ekey Park is not only a place to escape from stress and work, but it is a permanent staple to our community.” This is one of the biggest reason why Ekey Park should be considered the lifeblood of the Kochville community. Citizens like Shannahan, who have been in the town for well over 4 decades, have roots with the Ekey Park. Taking something so vital to the people in
In his essay “Do We Look Fat in These Suburbs?” included in the August 2014 edition of the Atlantic Monthly Magazine, senior editor of The Atlantic, James Hamblin raises question about if street networks are what contributed to obesity. Hamlin’s piece suggest that dense, more urban areas tend promote a healthier lifestyle because places in cities are in close walking distance as to those in suburbs where places are usually only assessable by car. With sprawling subdivisions on the raise and the obesity rate only growing, heart healthy cities will soon be a thing of the past.
Increasing evidence has shown that a person’s zip code has a substantial influence on their health. At the population level, health disparities are often geographically dispersed, with patterns showing certain areas are disproportionately affected by multiple poor health outcomes. For example, lack of a proper built environment, including sidewalks, safe places to exercise, and parks, are associated with decreased physical activity and obesity in youth and adults (X). Additionally, neighborhoods with little to no access to stores that have fresh fruits and vegetables available for purchase, high density of fast food restaurants, and are in food deserts are also associated with obesity (X). Furthermore, poor access to health care facilities,
Outdoors and nature have proven to improve an individual’s physical and mental health, however the population of the United States have disconnected from the outdoors causing a rise in health issues such as obesity, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and other chronic diseases (Bates & Stone, 2015). Obesity is defined as a disorder involving excessive amounts of body fat that can increase risks for health problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some leading causes of preventable death (CDC.gov, 2016). Obesity is a growing health disparity that nearly more than one-third of American adults face due to an evolving society (CDC.gov, 2016). Chronic diseases are the leading causes of death and disability in the United States and they are the most common, costly, and preventable health conditions (CDC.gov, 2016). Aside from obesity, other chronic diseases include type 2 diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, stroke, and cancer (CDC.gov, 2016). Diabetes is known as the leading cause of kidney failure, blindness, and lower-limb amputations (CDC.gov, 2016). Arthritis is the most common cause of disability, with twenty-two million adults reporting that this prevents them from performing daily activities (CDC.gov, 2016). With over 30 years of research, urban nature has shown to enhance physical, psychological, and social well-being for the growing population (Shanahan, Fuller, Bush, Lin, & Gaston, 2015). Individuals with a sedentary lifestyle are more at risk for
Urban parks are defined in their comparative and contrastive relationships to the urban environments surrounding them. Although frequently conceptualized as natural landscapes, the physical and social uses of parks give
The website for the national and state park systems helps to enlighten the public on the subject of impending changes in policy and regulations, as well as new developments in different parks. Due to this, the parks and recreation districts judge that individuals and families will be more agreeable to the idea of traveling to parks in different states because of the easy accessibility of directions and information about the parks. Owing to the latest rise in interest of campgrounds and recreation areas, there has been an increase in funds. This new revenue has made possible the purchase of more parkland throughout the United States. Without prevailing use of the Internet, this most likely would not have been possible. The East Bay Park District has been able to purchase 1,476 of land. This is the single largest acquisition that the Park has made in over twenty years. The York Center Park District been able to purchase and protect a 20-acre area in the last five years. This is the largest area they manage. With the acquisition of supplementary parkland, it is more likely that this land will continue in its natural condition and not be converted into an urbanized region.
This topic is very significant because over the past several decades, urban and neighborhood planners have strayed away from green spaces throughout their projects. Green spaces encourage interaction among citizens as well as improving the environment in the vicinity. In this divisive political climate, it is almost necessary to provide areas where families and individuals can come together and enjoy a less stressful environment.